FISH KARMAThe Theory of Intelligent Designvirus358 (2006) CD - $12.00iTunesemusic
Born, raised, and infected in Tucson, AZ, Fish turned heads, blew minds, and tickled funnybones with the crazed albums he's put out since 1988 on various labels. Now relocated to Texas, Fish once again provides badly needed relief from our increasingly Branch Davidian-like government and all those obnoxious, large, golden crosses shackled around puppet celebrity necks at the Grammy Awards.

These songs feature his unique skewerings of the dark side of Americana as mutated into the sun-damaged retirees, townies, and pleasure-seekers only the Southwest could create. The music is more basement rock than acoustic this time, recorded once again with Fish's longtime pal, Al Perry (of The Pysclones, The Hecklers, & Al Perry & the Cattle). The stunning cover art is, of course, by Winston Smith. This includes a beefed-up rerecording of his classic "Dio Rocks" and a not-so-devout cover of the Louvin Brothers "I Like The Christian Life"!

Kind of outsider, kind of blind-sider, with a barb or two at supply-siders, Fish Karma's in the tent to enlighten and mangle your mind.

"Terry Owen has been a certified punk-rock eccentric for longer than even Jersey Beat's been around (circa 1981!); but unlike, say, Wesley Willis or Jad Fair (to whom he's often compared), Owen actually has a powerhouse band behind him. So while his songs tend to be somewhat wacky and cracked, they rock hard - like a loopier Dictators, maybe? There are a couple of lo-fi acoustic numbers here too, and several
silly songs that reference celebrities (Tiger Woods, Ronnie Dio) in a very Wesley Willis-ish way; but Fish Karma is definitely a one-of-a-kind original. And the song about New Jersey with its Lewis Carroll non-linear logic just cracks me up!"- Jersey Beat

"Comedian, encyclopedia salesman, raconteur, teacher, and musician-Terry Owen is a well rounded man. Mashing up punk, basement folk, and lo-fi action hero power metal, his tendencies as a song writer seem to mimic the eclectic nature of his life. Although some of Owen's comedic inclinations burn through with salt-grained sparks, the bulk of his most recent poetic collage seems to be loosely centered around densely spiteful political, religious, and cultural critiques, and most of all, the forthcoming American apocalypse. While there's not a lot of fluid consistency or smoothed-out accessibility in the record, there's something strangely admirable and endearing running through it. It's odd, frenzied, fairly trashy, but charming all the while. RIYL the Dead Milkmen or the thought of a post-lobotomy Bob Dylan."- Punk Planet